About Me

****PLEASE NOTE WELL****
Any email sent concerning this blog or related to it in anyway, at this address, are subject to possible publication in my blog.

**** PLEASE ALSO NOTE ****
Editorial content of this blog is the property of the Blog Owner. Feel free to quote from the editorial content, while giving proper credit and link. Articles credited with other authors/copyrights are to be credited as such.

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Fwd: The Momentum Continues (Walid Shoebat)

Walid Shoebat last week continued his campaign on College Campuses, this time on the Left Coast with UC Davis and UC Sanata Barbara. Both were sold out audiances 1300 at UC Davis and 600 at Santa Barbara, with close to one thousand being turned away between the two venues.

While Walid receives standing ovations from the audiances which consist of neutrals as well as supporters, with a few protesters, it is interesting to note that the reviews in the college newspapers seem less than flattering. It is also interesting to note that little is reported of the content of Walid's speech and when the student journalists write they comment on about refuting his speech but never come up with hard facts to repudiate any of Walid's statements.

The American people are interested in finding out the truth and are hearing the message loud and clear and the grassroots are listening.

Before the UC Davis Speech Walid appeared on the Radio show: Armstrong and Getty a prime time 8 am slot which is listened to by hundreds of thousands on KNEW and KSTE in the Bay Area and Sacramento. CBS TV affiliate also covered the event and we reached well over a million people with some hard truths.

In Santa Barbara Walid's speech was broadcast on local TV as well as a feature spot on Santa Barbara local ABC TV affiliate.

We are working on putting together some big events on Campuses in April, stay tuned for announcements as the events become solidified.

Walid's new book "Why We Want To Kill YOu" will be out on Feb 21st and we should be in position to ship all the pre orders hopefully on the 19th.

Sunday, February 11, 2007

The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has spoken on Marriage recently, and another article on this can be found here at CNS. This is part of his weekly General Audiences, which can be found at the Vatican website. The latest was Feb 7, 2007.

"From the earliest days of Christianity, the faith was nourished and the church grew thanks to the commitment of believing married couples, Pope Benedict XVI said."

Your friend thought you would be interested in the following news story, which originally appeared on the Catholic World News site (www.cwnews.com). You'll find more information about Catholic World News at the bottom of this message.

ARTICLE: Feb. 08 (CWNews.com) - In a pastoral letter to the faithful of Washington, DC-- the first such message since he became head of the Washington archdiocese last June-- Archbishop Donald Wuerl has made a powerful push to restore the use of sacramental Confession.

Archbishop Wuerl has come in for some criticism on this site lately because of his "laissez-faire" attitude toward pro-abortion Catholic politicians. Without rescinding the legitimate questions that have been raised on that subject, let's give credit where credit is due. In this pastoral letter, the archbishop had provided a fine teaching document-- but more importantly, he has announced a dramatic practical initiative.

The 10-page letter, entitled "God's Mercy and the Sacrament of Penance", offers a thorough explanation of the sacrament: its Scriptural and theological underpinnings, its practical use, and its spiritual impact. Then it concludes with a welcome surprise.

(The full text of Archbishop Wuerl's letter can be found on the web site of the Washington archdiocese.)

As the Catholic world prepares to enter the season of Lent, the archbishop invites the faithful to reflect on the roots of sin and alienation. The central truth of Christianity, he reminds readers, is that Jesus redeemed men of their sins:

"The central role of Christ's Cross and Resurrection in the good news that the apostles preached is evident. There is much more to this statement of faith than the simple recognition that Christ died. If by his cross Christ had not redeemed us, his death would have had little meaning. It is with the eyes of faith that the apostles and every believer after them gazes on the Cross and sees much more than just the instrument on which Jesus hung until he died."

To claim that redemption, however, requires a response from the faithful. Weakened by sin, we cannot reach salvation on our own merits. But Christ has founded his Church, giving us the means to overcome our sinful nature. In Baptism the stain of Original Sin is removed. After Baptism, sacramental Confession frees the sinner of his guilt.

In his pastoral letter, Archbishop Wuerl notes that the sacrament is known by various titles: Confession, Penance, the Sacrament of Reconciliation. He generally uses the first, because confession-- the sinnerâ€™s candid admission of his own transgressions-- is at the heart of the sacrament.

There are different impulses that might lead a sinner to Confession, the archbishop observes; but they all have a common element:

"What leads a person to the sacrament of Penance is a sense of sorrow for what one has done. The motivation may be out of love for God or even fear of the consequences of having offended God. Whatever the motive, contrition is the beginning of forgiveness of sin. The sinner must come to God by way of repentance."

After explaining the "why" of the sacrament, the archbishop turns to the "how." There are two rites, he explains. The first and most common use is individual confession. The second is a communal celebration, into which individual confessions are incorporated. Archbishop Wuerl says that the second rite is preferable bcause it "shows more clearly both the social impact and the common experience of sin and the ecclesial nature of penance and reconciliation." However, he stresses that a communal service must include individual confessions; general absolution is not an option except under rare circumstances.

Moving toward his practical conclusion, Archbishop Wuerl announces that the Washington archdiocese will begin a concerted drive to encourage use of this valuable sacrament. The archdiocese will prepare brochures to help people prepare for Confession, and provide priests with material for homilies on Confession.

Then comes this wallop:

"In addition, during this Lenten season, beginning with the Wednesday of the first week of Lent until the Wednesday of Holy Week, priests will be available in every church throughout the archdiocese from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in order to hear confessions."

Think about the impact of that announcement! Any Catholic in Washington-- or, for that matter, outside Washington-- now knows that he can go to Confession in any parish there, on any Wednesday evening.

There is no uncertainty: no need to scramble through parish bulletins and make phone calls to ascertain the hours when a priest will be available. The hours are easy to remember. There is a generous window of time: 90 minutes each week, rather than the 15 minutes allotted on a Saturday afternoon in so many American parishes.

Someone who has not been to Confession in years now knows that, in Washington, he can slip quietly into a church on the other side of town, where he will not be recognized, and unburden himself to a priest he does not know. More observant Catholics can make a Lenten resolution to use the sacrament frequently, making a regular visit on Wednesday evenings. The fundamental point is that this initiative, which the archbishop has dubbed "The Light Is On For You," welcomes Catholics to Confession.

Making the program work-- manning the confessionals for all those hours in all those parishes-- will require a real sacrifice from the clergy of the Washington archdiocese. But it will be Lenten program for them, too, and a valuable means of reaffirming their own priestly vocation.

The archbishop's program is neat, simple, and imminently practical. He has responded to a crying pastoral need with a bold offensive. And the program is bound to work.

Priests who served in Rome during the Jubilee Year have told me that they heard many, many more confessions than usual. Pilgrims visiting the basilicas used the sacrament simply because they were invited.

In Washington, during Lent, the faithful are invited.

The logic of that invitation is so clear and simple, one wonders why other bishops haven't tried the same sort of initiative. But for now let's give credit to Archbishop Wuerl for taking the lead, and hope that others will follow.

Catholic World News, the pioneer in online Catholic news services, offers daily headline stories, analysis, and discussion of world events from the perspective of loyal but independent Catholic journalists.

To learn more about Catholic World News, or to become a premium subscriber and receive headline news coverage every weekday, please visit [http://www.CWNews.com].